Count the bugs “splatted” on your car to help track insect decline

Add a ‘splatometer’ to your car to help researchers at the Bugs Matter project investigate the worrying global decline in insect populations, says Layal Liverpool

By Layal Liverpool

HAVE you noticed a drop in the number of bugs splatted on your car windscreen in recent years? Researchers think this “windscreen phenomenon” is one indicator of a worrying global decline in insects, and your observations could help them to investigate the scale of the problem.

If you live and drive in the UK, you can get involved in this biodiversity research directly by participating in the Bugs Matter project this summer. You will need a “splatometer” – a sampling grid that you can stick to the number plate of your vehicle. This will be posted to you when …